Time : a very short introduction / Jenann Ismael.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ismael, Jenann, 1968- Author.

Series:

Very short introductions.

Very short introductions

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Time.

Physical Description:

1 online resource.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2021.

Summary:

Time: A Very Short Introduction explores questions about the nature of time that have been at the heart of philosophical thinking since its beginnings: questions like whether time has a beginning or end, whether and in what sense time passes, how time is different from space, whether time has a direction, and whether it is possible to travel in time. These questions passed into the hands of scientists with the work of Isaac Newton when the structure of space and time became connected to motion and included the subject matter of physics. This VSI charts the way that the history of physics, from Isaac Newton through Albert Einstein’s two revolutions, wrought changes to the conception of time. There are parts of physics that are in a state of confusion, but this strand of development is a story of philosophical illumination and conceptual beauty. The discussion here provides an opportunity to see what distinguishes the methods of physics from those of philosophy. It brings together physics, cognitive science, and phenomenology in the service of reconciling what modern theories tell us about the nature of time with the everyday living experience of time.

Contents:

1. History up through Newton

2. From space and time to space-time: the era of Einstein

3. Philosophical implications of the relativistic conception of time

4. The direction of time

5. The time of human experience

6. The big picture and new horizons.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-19-256894-9

0-19-256895-7

0-19-187123-0